Food hubs - businesses or organizations that actively manage the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand – hold incredible promise for positive impacts. At the middle of the food value chain, hubs’ influence on the economy, social equity, and the environment can be great.

Food Hubs strengthen regional food systems by supplying local foods to schools, hospitals, restaurants and other institutions, as well as directly to consumers. Their aggregation, sales, and distribution activity increases farm-gate demand for local foods, creating new markets for small producers.

But are food hubs economically sustainable? Can food hubs do well by doing good?

Local governments are increasingly interested in developing their local food systems to realize both local economic and job creation benefits and also public health, environmental and social benefits. But where and how to invest are often challenging questions for cities to answer.